---
title: "The Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) (Amendment) Order 2026"
id: 6c6957c5-7d7d-4231-acf8-2778a55f0d45
authority: uk
place: "United Kingdom"
applies_also_from: []
kind: regulation
in_force: true
publisher_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1080
attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
solon_url: https://solon.orangecat.ch/law/6c6957c5-7d7d-4231-acf8-2778a55f0d45
language: en
in_force_from: 2026-11-03
date_basis: publisher
status: consolidated
source_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1080/data.xml
read_on: 2026-11-10
sha256: dfccb59000cc97bf23d2fabaf678cfc7aff92d4ad4c3619c8f05179dd21fdb5e
provisions: 3
---

# The Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) (Amendment) Order 2026

## Title and introductory text {#prelims}

2026 No. 1080
NORTHERN IRELAND
The Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) (Amendment) Order 2026
Made
at 11.08 a.m. on 13th October 2026
Laid before Parliament
at 3.30 p.m. on 13th October 2026
Coming into force
3rd November 2026
The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the power conferred by section 31 (6) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

## 1 Citation, commencement and extent {#article-1}

(1) This Order may be cited as the Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) (Amendment) Order 2026.
(2) This Order comes into force on 3rd November 2026.
(3) This Order extends to Northern Ireland only.

## 2 Amendment of the Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) Order 2010 {#article-2}

For article 2(1) of the Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) Order 2010 substitute—
(1) The minimum period for the purpose of section 31 (6) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (date of elections and dissolutions) is—
(a) 26 days; or
(b) where paragraph (1A) applies, 30 days.
(1A) This paragraph applies where—
(a) the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, in accordance with section 15 (3A) of the Representation of the People Act 1985 (combination of polls at Northern Ireland Assembly elections with polls at parliamentary and local elections), has directed that the polls at an election of the Northern Ireland Assembly are to be taken together with the polls at any other election or elections; and
(b) that direction is given no later than 31 days before the date of the polls.
.